Garlic Parmesan Tempeh Wings

I didn’t eat a ton of meat before that. Mostly chicken. Some turkey. And it was always just grilled in my George Foreman grill. No craziness like buffalo wings or BBQ ribs. No red meat or pork at all, actually. I always kind of felt like it was wrong, but ate it because I was taught that it was vital to one’s health to eat meat.

However, one year, about a month before my 22nd birthday, I started craving a big burger with all the fixin’s, fries and a big milkshake (the kind where they serve you the extra milkshake in a silver canister along with your milkshake). I thought I was craving beef. Looking back, I know that I was rebelling against my personal trainer lifestyle of eating plain chicken breast and vegetables all the time. I just wanted to indulge. It didn’t need to be beef.

So I decided that for my birthday, I wanted to go to an old-fashioned diner, one in San Francisco that was acclaimed for it’s burgers. And to make that burger taste even better (this was my logic back then), I decided to not eat any meat at all, to be completely vegetarian for two weeks prior to my birthday dinner.

This wasn’t my first time trying out a vegetarian lifestyle. I tried it once in high school but I didn’t know what I was doing and quit after only eating lettuce and white sandwich bread for a few days. This time, however, since I had been studying nutrition as my minor, I had a better grasp on how to properly feed myself. This time around was wonderful. I felt lighter, cleaner, purer, had more energy, and never felt sluggish after meals. By the time my birthday arrived, I wasn’t even sure that I wanted a burger at all. But all my friends were coming and we had this big thing planned, so I went along with it.

I ate the burger. And then I was sick for a week. My stomach had never felt such pain as it did trying to digest that burger. I had enough nutrition schooling to know that if my body reacted that poorly to meat, and I felt better without it, I definitely should not be eating it. And that’s how I came to stop eating the flesh of dead animals.

Recently, when a reader asked me how to recreate a healthy vegan version garlic parmesan wings. I was stumped. I hadn’t had meat in over 10 years and even when I did, I don’t think I’d ever even heard of garlic parmesan wings. I had no clue how they were supposed to taste. Then I remembered a wonderful post written by Cadry about why vegans eat meat substitutes. It’s not because we are craving dead animals, we’re craving the sauces, spices and seasonings they’re cooked in, the flavor of the final product. I was pretty sure I could recreate something that would be both garlicky and parmesan flavored, but healthier and with more compassion.

I started by marinating strips of tempeh in a garlicky milk mixture for a few hours. Then I coated it in pecan parmesan before baking and Viola! Thick, juicy tempeh wings filled with tons of garlic and parmesan goodness. I served them up with some lemon roasted artichokes and a garlic aoli dipping sauce (I used a recipe that I found online, but I can’t for the life of me remember where I got it). We ended up dipping the garlic parmesan tempeh wings in the aoli and it was pretty fantastic. I think it would be really great with a vegan ranch dressing too, but they’re awfully tasty by themselves. I was quite pleased with this creation and it was just another perfect reminder to pay attention to what your cravings are really for.

Cut the tempeh into 10 strips, widthwise. Combine the marinade ingredients in a shallow dish. Add the tempeh, taking care to cover all sides with marinade. Cover and place the dish in the refrigerator to marinate for at least 1 hour, up to overnight.

Preheat the oven to 350. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

On a plate, combine the arrowroot and garlic powder. Place the pecan parmesan on another plate.

One by one, remove 1 tempeh strip from the marinade, dredge in the arrowroot powder, then dip back into the marinade. Shake off any excess. Then place the strip in the pecan parmesan and coat. Lay the parmesan-coated tempeh strip on the prepared baking sheet. Continue until all strips are on the baking sheet.

Bake the tempeh for 15 minutes, flipping once halfway through to allow for even cooking. Serve warm. Enjoy!

36 Responses to "Garlic Parmesan Tempeh Wings"

So true! It’s really the sauces I crave from former meat favorites (like a good buffalo and ranch combo), not the meat itself. The first few years after going fully vegetarian, I’d occasionally try bites of meat dishes I’d miss, and then not feel satisfied at all. After giving up meat for a substantial time, the bites just tasted “meaty”. It’s really the sauces that I wanted. Wings are probably what I crave the most. I’ve never had a garlic parm. version though. Will have to give this tempeh one a try!

I’m not sure if it counts, because I’m not 100% veg or vegan, but I completely agree with you that its more about the flavors. I am most often tempted by convenience/ fast foods and I can usually come up with something in my own kitchen that’s a million times better and equally satisfying. Its also a bummer when you’re out with friends for burgers and their beef versions are so well crafted and you’re sitting there with a sorry excuse for a veggie burger!Kim @ Cooking in the City recently posted…Jelly and Swamp Water

I agree, Kim. I also find that the plant-based versions of old meat-based dishes taste better to me. I feel like meat, dairy, and egg products actually mask the flavors coming from the seasonings and sauces. The food I eat now is a million times more flavorful and tasty than the food I ate before I was vegan. 🙂

you are fabulous! i loved your story and your cravings. these wings are such a great alternative. even though i’ve never heard of them before, i’m sure they are a million times better than the meat version!Caitlin recently posted…Woodstock Salad

The pecan parmesan is made of pecans, nutritional yeast, lemon juice and a bit of garlic. There was supposed to be a link to the recipe in the ingredient list (my site drops links like crazy). I’ve fixed it now, so you should be able to access the recipe. Thanks! 🙂

Your photos are gorgeous! It’s funny, I went vegetarian about 2 or 3 times before I actually went full on vegetarian, and then vegan from there. I remember giving up meat because I didn’t like the taste of it. Then I started craving it again and went back. Same thing happened a year or so later, all in high school and I really didn’t know what I was doing. I was a semi-vegetarian for 7 years, then my senior year of college I read Skinny Bitch and haven’t eaten meat since. I dabbed in veganism but it took a few times for it to really hold true. Everyone always asks “how can you give up meat?” to which I reply- how can I not? I never crave it! Never! You are so right- I feel 10X lighter, cleaner, better than I ever did when I was eating meat. Cheers to keepin it kind 🙂

I’m so happy to hear that you liked the photos in this post! Chris and I are playing with a new light and this was one of our earlier tests with it, before we finally figured out the best way to use it. 🙂

I know what you mean about when people ask “How can you give up meat/dairy?” My reply is always “I couldn’t not give it up once I learned what I did. I couldn’t not give it up and still be able to live with myself.” Feeling infinitely healthier is just a bonus. 🙂

I so agree that it is all about the flavorings and sauces! these tempeh wings look so crisp and garlic is one of my favorite things:) i had a bbq chicken burger some years back and it was just horrible, so i went off bbq sauce for a while(go figure). I used the sauce recently in something and i was hooked. I was like why did i wait to use this sauce in everything for so long! it was the meat which was bad and made the burger all bad:)Richa recently posted…Sarah’s Classic French Creme Brûlée. Vegan Glutenfree Recipe

That’s such an interesting point about the meat ruining the burger. I strongly feel that my plant-based versions are much, much more tasty than their meat-based originals. Animal products actually overpower flavor, in my opinion.

I’ve been vegetarian for 5 years and went vegan in January. I miss sausage patties the most. I will just start craving them like crazy! I didn’t even really eat them that much when I would eat meat. But, if I add some thyme and rosemary to whatever dish I’m making, it’ll hit the spot!

I’ve been an ethical plant-based dieter for a bajillion years (yes, that’s an actual number :), and I’ve never missed or craved anything from my pre-vegan days. Well, for the first year, I missed cannolis like CRAZY. I hardly EVER ate them when I was doing the dairy thing (MAYBE once a year, IF that), but, once I stopped consuming cheese, I felt like they were always in my face. For a LONG time after becoming vegan, I would have nightmares on a fairly regular basis (about once a month) about inadvertently, accidentally or unwillingly consuming non-vegan foods, mostly yogurt. ?!?! I would wake up, freaked out, completely traumatized, feeling like I had just eaten a relative. It took me 5-6 years to have that stop happening. But, I digress. 🙂

Regarding the foods that people crave, I actually think it’s more the MEMORIES tied to the foods than anything else. Remembering better days, or just plain ‘ol GOOD days, hanging with friends, as a freer and/or younger person with less responsibility. Or sharing the quiet mornings with a mother or grandmother while they make breakfast. Or a weekly ritual that combined a food with spending time with a loved one. That’s mostly what family traditions are all about, right? You do the same things over and over because they hold good memories. That’s why food can be such an issue around the holidays; if you’re not eating what has been served traditionally for years, it can be hard on your family members, with them thinking it’s not the FOOD you’re turning down but THEM and the times you’ve shared.

But, maybe not. What do I know? 🙂 Except that those tempeh wings look AMAZING!! I’ll send you a plane ticket so you can be on the next flight out to my house to whip those babies up for me. (I know there is NO way my version would EVER look nearly as delectable as yours do.) I’ve never had garlic parmesan wings before, but now, that’s ALL I want to eat. 🙂

Since becoming vegan, I’ve never craved anything either. Now, my cravings are all for plants. I never have had those dreams, but Chris has them all the time. He’s always in the middle of eating a meal when he realizes he’s actually eating a steak or a burger or some other sort of meat. They’re always stress dreams.

I couldn’t agree more about cravings being tied to memories. Sometimes I crave cinnamon toast because my dad would always make it for me for a snack. My grandmother took it kind of hard when I became vegan because she is the one who taught me how to cook. I think she thought I was rejecting her and her teachings, but when I veganized a few of the things she taught me to make, it really meant a lot to her. 🙂

Isn’t it CRAZY how your palate (and cravings) change when you eat REAL whole foods? I used to love carbs and empty calorie foods (even after going vegan), and, now, when I eat, I want FOOD. People who would tell me that they loved, or even craved, veggies used to both baffle and annoy me. 😉 I would think “How can someone crave spinach?!” I would swear they must be exaggerating, but, now (to my horror 🙂 I’m one of them. It took me a LONG time to get here, but it is honestly one of the things I’m proudest about — turning my veggie hating self into a veritable vegetable-loving extraordinaire. 🙂 And it’s not that I CRAVE veggies, like I would, say, back in the day, crave a candy bar. I just WANT to eat them. All the time. Veggies rock!

I imagine dietary changes would be especially hard on those that taught us to cook (there is so much EMOTION tied in to every aspect of food, isn’t there?), especially those of an older generation. I love how you managed to fuse both your veganism and grandmother’s food together. From what you’ve said about her (here and in other posts), she sounds like SUCH a wonderful person. Both of your grandparents do. 🙂

When I first went vegan (long, long ago) I missed barbecued foods, especially barbecued short ribs. In spite of the fact that we almost never barbecued anything, there was something about the flavor that I really liked. Now I barbecue veggies and am perfectly happy. Like you, I never had things like buffalo wings — or even nachos. These have been introduced to me fairly recently in vegan versions. Because I avoid gluten, the tempeh wings would be more my style, though to be honest, I probably wouldn’t call them wings. 🙂

Thanks, Andrea. You know, I thought about the “wing” thing too. I chose to go with it because it was a reader who was looking for a vegan version so I kept in the “wing” so that people who are searching for vegan “wings” could find them. 🙂

I tend to miss fried seafood and braises with fall apart tender meats liks short ribs. I am not tempted to cook these myself, but I get hungry while I’m out and the vegan options are slim I think start thinking about picking up take out.

I was not a big fan of sauced chicken wings, but I’ve been collecting sauce & seasoning recipes to try with vegan wingz

That’s always the worst- when you get hungry while you’re out and about and there are no vegan options. I try to always carry some sort of snack in my purse for that very reason, but sometimes I forget. 🙂

Wow these are incredible! One thing I miss since going vegan, isn’t the actual eating wings, but it’s the social aspect of going out for wings and beer. So you’re totally right. It’s not the meat vegans miss, it’s the spice, flavours or social aspects we miss. I bet these would totally cure any cravings for wings I would have though, even if I ate them by myself in my pajamas 🙂 Totally delicious!

I know what you mean, Gabby. I often miss the fancy wine and cheese nights I would have with my girlfriend, but I know there are so many vegan options to satisfy those social cravings. Now it’s just a matter of trying to coordinate our schedules!

Ohhh, Dom is going to LOSE HIS MIND when he sees these! We were just talking about comfort foods this morning and whether he still craves meat (I definitely don’t!) and he said all he really craves are really great vegan comfort foods once in a while. This will fit the bill perfectly! Thank you for your magic as always, Kristy! 🙂Bex @ Vegan Sparkles recently posted…Autumn Sweet Potato, Vegetable & Red Lentil Dhal

I had vegetarian stints too in my teenage years, I once was veg for a whole year, but gave up when I went to Australia, because meat was everywhere, and I really didn’t know how to overcome that while living in someone else’s home. These tempeh wings look like just the thing!

Thanks, Somer. It is pretty hard making that choice so young. I applaud young people who successfully are able to become vegan or vegetarian at a young age. It’s really all about having supportive parents. 🙂

These were awesome! I love how the techniques you use can be applied in different ways to achieve deliciousness. I didn’t have everything for this recipe (including the time and the arrowroot/cornstarch), so I kind of combined this recipe with your technique from your Hazelnut Crusted Tempeh Cutlets (https://keepinitkind.com/maple-hazelnut-crusted-tempeh-cutlets/) and steamed the “fingers” first and them just let them sit in the marinade for about 15 minutes before lightly dusting them with pastry flour (then marinade again, then crunchy coating). I had no idea tempeh plumped up like that when steamed! My big edit I think was including a few tablespoons of olive oil with the mix for a little more of a crispy-fried finish to them. My boyfriend and I DEVOURED them all! Anyway, another fantastic recipe AND technique I can use in many ways in the future. Thank you! <3